


Not a Good Man

by tacky_tramp



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Kink Meme, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-16
Updated: 2011-06-16
Packaged: 2017-10-20 11:22:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/212244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tacky_tramp/pseuds/tacky_tramp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charles thinks he knows Erik.  Erik disagrees.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not a Good Man

“Perhaps we should stop,” Erik says.

Charles looks up blankly. They’re eleven moves into their nightly game and the room has been silent but for the quiet slide of pieces across the board. “What? Oh. No, let’s not.” He forces a smile. “Unless you think you’ve lost already.”

“Quite to the contrary,” Erik replies, arching an eyebrow and taking his next move. “But you’ve barely spoken to me since we arrived. Actually, you’ve barely spoken to me since we left Russia.”

The smile fades. “It’s not important. Not after--”

“What we came home to. I understand. I think it is important, however.”

Charles runs his fingers through his loose hair. “Perhaps more now than ever,” he says quietly. He looks back and forth between Erik’s face and the well-crafted chess pieces for a moment. “Fine,” he says. “The way you behaved in Russia …”

The corners of Erik’s mouth twitch up almost imperceptibly. “Are you going to scold me, Charles?”

"I’m being serious. You endangered us all, and you seriously wounded the guards. You could have _killed_ those men."

Erik studies the board quietly. "You're absolutely right, Charles. I _could_ have killed them.” Then he lifts his gaze and locks eyes with Charles. “I could have driven the iron fence posts through their sternums. I could have shoved their gun barrels down their throats and pulled the trigger. I could have used the barbed wire to slowly and deliberately shred their skin until only a bloody pulp remained -- all without breaking my stride. But I didn't do any of those things. Why not?"

Charles answers without hesitation: "Because you're a good man."

"Don't be asinine."

Charles frowns, but Erik presses on. "Why didn't I kill those men, Charles? For that matter, why didn't I kill Miss Frost after I got the information I wanted?"

"You didn't kill them because it wouldn't have accomplished anything, and deep down, you know that senseless killing is wrong."

Erik laughs and leans back. "You know, all this time I've been so confused by your steadfast refusal to read the minds of your friends and allies. Now I get it. You don't _want_ to know what we're thinking. When it comes to the people you care about, you prefer your version of us to the truth." He pauses. "I supposed I should be touched."

"You're wrong," Charles insists, suddenly angry.

Then Erik is lunging forward, knocking aside the tidy chess game and planting his hands on the armrests of Charles's chair. His face is steely. "Prove it," he growls. He locks a hand around Charles's wrist and yanks it up, forcing his fingers to his own temple. "Look. Look at me."

Charles searches Erik's face for a moment, then relents. He slips into Erik’s mind for the first time in weeks. He doesn't have to go digging; the memory is right there on the surface, as if Erik is offering it up.

_, woods outside decaying house, cold air, guards, barbed wire, too familiar, brittle grass under my hands, Frost, ridiculous hat, Charles listening, Charles talking to me, no Shaw, abort, unacceptable, take this opportunity, kill guards quickly, slip inside, torture Frost, won’t break easily, take my time, need Charles, find Shaw, Charles’s help, disable guards, nonlethal, please Charles, need his power, naive, goodness, forgive, clear eyes, balance, warmth, need him, friend, protect him, take him, lo_

Charles is suddenly very aware of Erik's nearness and of his hand still tight around his wrist. He can see the steady rise and fall of his chest, but he doesn't miss the ragged edge of his breath so close to his face.

"For me," Charles murmurs. "You did it for me."

Erik smiles cruelly, or maybe sadly. "So you see, I'm not a good man, Charles. I just--"

He’s silenced as Charles’s mouth covers his.


End file.
